What drill to use for 'concrete' garage walls?

[Mofofunk]

Hi, wonder if anyone can advise? I'm trying to drill some holes into my garage wall to put some brackets up for some shevles. Im using a new SDS drill (in the past I have always used a rotary hammer drill) and after drilling only one hole the drill bit is totally dead...see pic. Why? Do I need a special drill type to drill into this material?

Thanks
Ash

 

[JohnD]

it's a prefab sectional garage made of precast panels. I'd guess you hit some steel reinforcement. It might be visible if you look in the holes.

I'd worry that drilling these sections may start a crack.

There may be factory holes cast into the webs where they are bolted together.

 

[SammyInnit]

Hi, wonder if anyone can advise? I'm trying to drill some holes into my garage wall to put some brackets up for some shevles. Im using a new SDS drill (in the past I have always used a rotary hammer drill) and after drilling only one hole the drill bit is totally dead...see pic. Why? Do I need a special drill type to drill into this material?

Thanks
Ash

Carbide tipped for rebar. That said I wouldn't br drilling into the centre of the panels; I'd put fixings in the ends of the panels and spanning something across them. They won't take much of a battering wihtout breaking up.

 

[dpsservices]

I'd go for free standing shelving as stated they not the best to get fixings into but is possible
Regards david

 

[Mofofunk]

Cheers guys for the quick response ..... The points which you have marked are excatly where I had in mind for drilling the holes.....that is where I actually put the one which killed my drill bit, I think drilling the centre of the panels would be very bad news so avoided that. Looking to fix a few brackets (as attached) and put some boards across.....

 

[SammyInnit]

Cheers guys for the quick response ..... The points which you have marked are excatly where I had in mind for drilling the holes.....that is where I actually put the one which killed my drill bit, I think drilling the centre of the panels would be very bad news so avoided that. Looking to fix a few brackets (as attached) and put some boards across.....

Yeah there will be rebar there so you'll need as I mentioned, decent carbide tipped bits. Hilti are the best I've found but pricy.

Id go for a fixing with 'low' expansion. Something like rawl bolts could crack and break the concrete; the downside then being limited weight you could hang off them without the fixings failing. Decent M6 screws and plugs should be okay.

 

[JohnD]

I can see bolts holding the panels together now. I think you'd be better off fixing your supports with these.

 

[Mofofunk]

I can see bolts holding the panels together now. I think you'd be better off fixing your supports with these.

You're right, there are bolts holding the panels together, but I'd ruled out using these as the are 'the wrong way' for me to use them to attached brackets and there isn't really enough of them. The section I have taken a picture of was just to illustrate the type of material i am drilling into. The actual section I will be putting the shelves on is the entire span of the back wall, about 18' and was looking to put 3/4 shelves up the wall.

 

[Mofofunk]

Yeah there will be rebar there so you'll need as I mentioned, decent carbide tipped bits. Hilti are the best I've found but pricy.

Id go for a fixing with 'low' expansion. Something like rawl bolts could crack and break the concrete; the downside then being limited weight you could hang off them without the fixings failing. Decent M6 screws and plugs should be okay.

I was thinking of just putting some rawl plugs in there (brown ones; whichever size they are) rather than using 'expanding bolts' ....hadn't really considered that they might crack the concrete to be honest, glad you mentioned it though

 

[lostinthelight]

I filled a concrete garage with shelving for a storage unit by fitting metal straps on top middle and bottom bolts that hold the panels together, screwed 4x2 between them for uprights to fix the shelf brackets to.
litl

 

[Mofofunk]

View attachment 126207 I filled a concrete garage with shelving for a storage unit by fitting metal straps on top middle and bottom bolts that hold the panels together, screwed 4x2 between them for uprights to fix the shelf brackets to.
litl

This sounds like a good idea, do you possibly have a photo of how you have it set up? Just having a little trouble visualising it from the diagram ..... Thanks again

 

[lostinthelight]

This sounds like a good idea, do you possibly have a photo of how you have it set up? Just having a little trouble visualising it from the diagram ..... Thanks again

Unfortunately I cant post a pic as we moved from the property two years ago but will try and post a better diagram.
litl

 

[lostinthelight]

You're right, there are bolts holding the panels together, but I'd ruled out using these as the are 'the wrong way' for me to use them to attached brackets and there isn't really enough of them. The section I have taken a picture of was just to illustrate the type of material i am drilling into. The actual section I will be putting the shelves on is the entire span of the back wall, about 18' and was looking to put 3/4 shelves up the wall.

What I did was to place full height 4X2 against each join in the panels which were used as easy fixing points for shelving.
These were held to the panels by drilled thin metal straps which were held by the fixing bolts on one end of them and screwed into the 4x2 on the other.
litl

 

[Guy79]

I did exactly this in my garage about a year or so ago.

A flat metal plate from toolstation or screwfix, I cant remember where, drilled out one of the holes to allow the sectional panels bolts to pass through and bent it slightly to align with the timber studwork [I just use cheap 3*2 stud work i had left over] and then whizzed a couple of screw through the plate into the stud. All have held fine including this one that has lots of timber stacked up on it.